Ptarmigan is no longer operating in Helsinki.

Ptarmigan existed as a project space in Vallila from 2009-2011 and a mobile curatorial/creative platfom until 2014. We no longer exist as an organised collective, but this website will continue to serve as an archive of the activities produced as Ptarmigan during these years.

Some of the people who were involved with Ptarmigan are now operating Temporary.

Digital information dissemination has changed the way we create and promote culture. Yet there’s something pleasantly archaic about traditional methods such as posters and flyers in public space. Printing is expensive, yet we are continually saturated with advertising, junk mail, and other paper-based noise.

We can take this into our own hands, looking at inexpensive methods of creating posters, which will have an aesthetic value as well. Artist Sarah Alden will lead an open-ended workshop/experiment that will examine how we can recycle abundant sources of paper to create beautiful and functional surfaces for printing, as well as looking at printing methods such as stencils and screens. Participants will work together with the goal of creating their own paper and if time permits, experiment with different applications. Participants should bring some junk mail, scrap paper, or other materials that can be used in the workshop.

Sarah Alden, from Toronto, Canada, is an artist based in Helsinki. She completed a MA in Environmental Art at Aalto University School of Art and Design in 2011. Her area of interest is how engagement in artistic processes can help us make sense of our ecological role/s, beyond rational learning. Her work is based on direct experiences in local urban greenspaces, with parallel development and implementation of art-based environmental activities for urban youth (elementary school age).